Marieke Vavier, DGA at Port Solutions Rotterdam Holding B.V.
On this website, women from the maritime sector share their stories. This is the story of Marieke Vavier.
What kind of work do you do?
I advise ports, waterway managers and governments on how to deal with the major transitions in the sector. Think of sustainability and digitization, for which cooperation is conditional. I consult a lot of different types of people, am often at different port locations and write advisory reports. The maritime sector is a raw, large, cool sector where there is so much work to do, and where you can really make a difference and be proud of. You love it and never want anything else, or you'll be gone in no time.
Does being a woman play a role in your work?
To be honest, being a woman only plays a positive role, at least a few years ago when I was often the only woman at conference tables. Everyone remembered who I was and that is of course always good! You can see that it is really changing, and that the port world is becoming much less of a man's world.
What do you like most about your job?
The best thing is when you have been able to make a real difference. I can be really proud of that. But very practical, I can also enjoy walking around a terminal and seeing the containers being loaded or unloaded, for example. So my advice: enjoy working in this wonderful sector!
You can see that it is really changing, and that the port world is becoming much less of a man's world.